On June 21st 2006, The Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation
organized a meeting with representatives of the community, civil society
and media –“For a common front with the state in the war against
the crime”. Representatives of Government, State’s Police
and Diplomatic Corps participated.

IN THE MEETING, IT WAS DISCUSSED ABOUT:

a- The strategy of the Committee of Nationwide Reconcilation
for the prevention of murders for revenge and blood feud and the observance
of the legal state’s authority.

b- The application of the positive tradition for the consolidation of
the State of Rule of Law.

d- The role of state and civil society and the citizen’s
commitment for the prevention of women, children and narcotics trafficking.

e- Some measures for preventing the suicides and crime
within the family.

f- A more active role of jurists’ community in the public debate
on law.

g- Some aspects of the violation of the inter-ethnical
and inter-religious relationships.

h- The reconciliation expedition and organizative measures
in terrain.

- The work of government and political majority for the
return of trust of people on the state by means of observance of law and
war without compromises against corruption and organized crime.
- The dedication of the Police in the fight against crime and its connections.

Albanian positive tradition for order in community is
a value and an important support toward the Rule of Law. The disregard
of this tradition has weakened the democracy and has obstructed the development
of the society. The main source of disorganization of the society, spread
of corruption, conflicts and of crimes of every kind are the inappropriate
laws and the lack of trust in state. The compiled bills have served only
to the political groups, to disguise of the actual situation and to the
tendency for justification to the international organizations. In the
civil and penal code there are 21 laws and 73 articles that lead people
toward and give space to self-justice. In the Parliamentary Laws Commission
continues the presentation of inappropriate bills also for the murders
for revenge and blood feud, started for personal profiting aims by individuals
and donors that do not know the situation. These bills are deficient,
do not get down to brass tacks of the phenomenon and favor the criminals,
violators of property and family, murderers, women and children traffickers,
and incite corruption in justice system. Albanian Parliament should ameliorate
the laws against the murder crimes, family and property violations, and
human beings trafficking, and based on these ameliorations, it should
reform the law on blood feud. For having a better view on the situations
of conflicts and enmities in Albanian society, the participants of the
meeting asked that by means of a resolution media, international organizations
and state institutions should be informed.

THE MEETING CONFIRMED THAT:

In Albania there is no necessary assistance by Albanian
government, police, courts or international organisations for the blood
feud phenomenon or protection of individuals and families endangered by
murders. Until now, Albanian state and its institutions have no legal
basis or necessary means to take under protection or assist these families.
The only ones who assist are the reconciliation missionaries that are
led by humanitarian feelings for the reconciliation of families that are
in blood feud and the voluntary working groups of Nationwide Reconciliation
Committee. Reconciliation Committee and missionaries have not been supported
either by factors inside Albania or by international community. In the
conditions of a missing trust in Albanian state and institutions, the
situation is chaotic; crime and self-justice are present in every moment
of citizens' life. In the absence of state structures and the traditional
hierarchy, negative phenomena appeared which fed the crime. Violation
of family, honour and human life, women, drugs and weapons trafficking,
invasion and robbery of properties, smuggling, corruption and illegal
businesses spread in the entire Albanian territory inciting murders for
blood feud and revenge in the North and the South. This has brought about
the ruin of thousands of individuals' lives and the confinement of thousands
of innocent families. Taking of weapons ands the appearance of the customary
law of blood feud came because of abandoned citizens and unprotected by
the state. Unfortunately, the murders are very tragic. Differently from
the Kanun time, they have a bandit, revengeful character. In most of the
cases, they are carried out unjustly under the revenge psychology, contrary
to Kanun, violating women and children's rights, which were protected
more than in the civilised countries by Albanian customary tradition.
In these 15 years, life of 5000 Albanians has been taken with self-justice.
Over 20 000 families were involved in sharp conflicts causing most of
them to confine themselves. These families' children have abandoned school
and have been confined for years inside the house, without being able
to meet their friends and the relatives even for a moment. State laws
are not recognised and observed because they are not a property of the
citizens. Laws have been drafted to adapt to the electoral interests.
They are prepared and adopted without citizens' participation and without
community cooperation. Drafting of laws served the politicians to place
party, clan or personal interests above society. An example of adopting
laws to electoral interest, which brought grave consequences for the people,
is law 7501 'On Land', adopted with the consensus of the two big parties
at the beginning of transition. In most of Albania's territory this law
has not been accepted, and implemented. In the areas where it has been
implemented, it has brought about conflicts causing murderers even among
families with blood relations. Only in Bushati Commune and some villages
of Nënshkoder, 1600 families with tribe relations do not communicate
with each other and do not exchange visits because of disagreements on
land. This enmity includes 15 000 families in a country scale.
In Albanian society, return of law authority will be a long and very difficult
process because we do not yet have a capable and devoted political class.
Political parties do not have a strategy, ideology, or mission. Their
programs are only electoral, temporary farces. Energies of political class
and money of Albanian taxpayers have been spent until now only in tactics
of taking or keeping the power. People suffer under the extreme poverty
stress, absence of elementary services and life security. Most of citizens
have lost hopes for the future; they carry out an apathetic, inert life.
Unemployment reaches the highest figures in eastern countries. Not finding
a way out, they have embraced the way of crime; thousands of women are
obliged to work on European streets as prostitutes. The governments have
not encouraged, but they have even hindered market development and local
production activity. Forests, productive land and agricultural infrastructure
have been destroyed. Seeing the chaotic situation of distrust in law,
after 1997-98 Nationwide Reconciliation Committee, drafted a strategy
on prevention of murders for revenge and blood feud, based on positive
traditions in order to observe the law and support the rule of law. Unfortunately,
we found lack of cooperation and abandonment of this strategy by structures
in government staff. New problems have now emerged that instigate enmity
and murders. The newly adopted laws for the restitution and compensation
of properties and houses legalisation have brought about murders without
the start of their implementation. Enmities for honour and trafficking
issues of women have affected 4600 families. A good part of the latter
conceals the enmity because of daughter and family honour protection,
but they wait for the proper occasion to revenge.

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Likewise, in this deep social crisis, suicides and murders within families
have taken concerning dimensions, bringing tragic acts in couples and
even children. Albania has become the country with the highest number
of suicides and crimes inside the family. In Tirana District Court, 10
family conflicts are judged every day, which leave trauma, especially
in children. Unfortunately, there is no fair and useful law in this aspect,
which could define preliminary cooperation hearings with reconciliation
institutions, as the tradition was. Civil and Criminal Code have 21 laws
and 73 articles that should be rewritten together with the Procedural
Code because their current state favours wrongdoers' activity and corruption
in justice leaving room for murders, revenge and blood feud.
Nationwide Reconciliation Committee required Ministry of Interior cooperation
for human rights, for common protection of Albanian emigrants that flee
the country because of being in danger and seek asylum in western countries.
In 2002, 1270 men resulted to have fled the country to conceal from the
enemy. Due to protection of Nationwide Reconciliation Committee most of
them have joined their families because they have taken asylum right.
Nationwide Reconciliation Committee sent these families' cases to Strasburg
Court, but their protection has been damaged by Albanian government with
its signing of repatriation agreement for emigrants who have not gained
asylum right. Some days ago Irish Court communicated to the citizen Marsel
Drita and his 65 year old mother the right of asylum in Ireland, but with
Irish Government right to contradict this right because of expiry of deadlines
defined in the agreement that Albania Government signed with the EU. Western
countries courts are under a constant pressure for Albania asylum seekers
issue though European Parliament required the review of this agreement
with Albanian Government. Because of the unjust action of western countries,
hundreds of Albanian emigrant families have been damaged. In October last
year, 4 emigration officers in Scotland entered forcefully in the house
of Vuçaj family handcuffing father and son, sent outdoors the 13
year old daughter undressed and returned them to Albania. This event invaded
the media of this country and caused protests of Scottish citizens but
there was no reaction by our Government. Unfortunately, when the echo
of this event had not gone, English police entered in the morning of the
3rd of March, this year in the house of the citizen Nadire Kaprini and
took her out with no clothes together with her 5 year old son who was
born in England. Though she implored them to respect her religion and
wait until she dressed, they brought her to Rinas as she was, with pyjamas
and handcuffed in both hands. Albanian Police in Rinas, received her with
much correctness and politeness, gave her clothes and addressed her to
Nationwide Reconciliation Committee to take her under protection. Unfortunately,
though English police was contrary to the law, this citizen continues
to wander for some months to seek a new possibility.
On the 9th of August 2005 Swedish police broke into the house of Albanian
citizen Violeta Sopaj who was in a very grave health situation. 4 police
officers and one nurse accompanied her, she was kept with serum all the
way because of her high temperature. Her spouse and two children are in
Sweden, it is a year now that she is seeking to join them clandestinely.
Tens of Swedish citizens, contrary to the law, have offered her their
passport to help her pass the border though police and Swedish justice
may punish them for this act. Fortunately with the help of Swedish media
and human rights representatives, we raises the case of this woman up
to UNO bodies and they guaranteed us that very soon she will join her
children and her husband. There are hundreds of cases when the Western
media film police celebrating with champagne after Albanians deportation,
whereas no western country would allow the violation of their citizens'
elementary rights. On the 6th of September 2005, European parliamentarians
presented to European Commission the difficult situation that Albanian
society is facing stressing that illegal emigrants repatriation will aggravate
the situation further. Again, in this year's resolution this parliament
required from this commission to support Albania in eliminating blood
feud phenomenon and protect the rights of Albanian asylum seekers who
fear to return to the country of origin. Only Albanian Government in the
Balkans has signed repatriation agreement. The EU has not signed it with
the other countries of the region.
We have required from Albanian parliament to pronounce for this issue,
but they did not do it. The Committee required continuously the combination
of the activity of reconciliation missionaries and representatives of
the state, police and intellectuals, because we give thus the leading
role and the necessary authority to the law, but we have not been supported
by either the state or the international organisations. The only ones
who have supported us in the reconciliation process have been some police
managers. But police cannot operate in cases of blood feud because it
aggravates the conflict more. There have been many cases when police interve3netion
has increased the bloodshed or the police officer himself has remained
killed. Albanian and International Interpol gave a good example of cooperation
with Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation in finding trafficked girls,
which have become object of blood feud among Albanian families. Due to
their work, 430 families of trafficked girls are negotiating to close
the case with no blood feud and not making it public, accepting the return
of the daughter to the family. 280 deceived girls have returned to their
families, 23 have married their pimp and continue the normal life in their
country. Prosecution and the courts in this difficult and very necessary
fight for cooperation of all institutions have not supported police and
missionaries. Nationwide Reconciliation Committee sometimes made public
flagrant when police, with the missionaries' help, has stopped the perpetrator,
but he has been released by prosecution or by the court. Release of criminals,
mitigation or pardon of their punishment has brought about the reaction
of the victim's party causing the blood feud execution of the perpetrator
or his family members. Over 300 individuals have been executed as soon
as they have come out of prison because of ridiculous sentences or release
with other forms. People consider unjust the law that punishes 25 years
to life imprisonment the blood feud murderer, when the criminal or his
family murderer is free, or has received a ridiculous sentence. We observe
that the criminal punishment margin, from the lowest to the highest, is
very high and allows for abuse and material gain of judges. International
community gave funds to eliminate this tragic phenomenon, but they did
not serve the purpose and they have been distributed with no criteria
or the needed vigilance. Two monthly expeditions that we organised on
Christmas and Easter occasion found out that none of the families in conflict
or confined by blood feud knows the projects drafted in their name. These
projects are drafted according to the formats defined by donors' staffs
without knowing the conflicts situation, without adapting them to the
ways that influence the mentality, culture and psychology of groups in
need. This gave room to funds embezzlement and abuse, serving more to
corruption. For these abuses, Nationwide Reconciliation Committee required
from Albanian Government and the President of the Republic to receive
the necessary information about destination of funds given for the elimination
murders for blood feud and revenge in Albania. Police has been the only
institution to make efforts to help solve the conflicts and prevent murders.
However, they cannot intervene without having a reporting. If a family
in enmity reports that they are threatened, it deepens the conflict more
and interrupts the reconciliation possibility in the future. Families,
who threaten for blood feud, do it in sophisticated forms leaving no evidence.
Example: Victim's family or relatives do not declare that they will commit
blood feud but they say that they will never forgive. Governments could
not manage to deal with this specific problem. Albanian parliament and
political tables have considered this phenomenon a difficult issue to
be handled by the state. Stay of individuals or families involved in blood
feud in Albania endangers their life in every moment. They are obliged
to confine themselves or leave Albania. When the family in blood feud
confines or flees the country, the tension of the damaged party, requiring
to revenge, abates. The avenger may find these people in every corner
of Albania if they try to hide in order to live a safe life in Albania.
Police has a general directorate, an Interior Ministry, and its offices
in 16 regions. Regions have police stations in every district. There are
police stations in the 32 districts of Albania, but lack of roads infrastructure,
electric power and other necessary means, together with the legal framework,
make police ineffective in prevention of every kind of crime. Police force
is mostly used now to catch main gangs of organised crime. Every citizen
may appear in police and leave his reporting in writing, but most of citizens
do not prefer to make a reporting. They consider that private solution
of the issue is a more dignified way. Those who want to report know that
this will have more dangerous consequences than silence. Police coordinates
work for wanted people, but in most of the cases information leaks.

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THE MEETING SUPPORTED:

The work of the reconciliation expedition and asked
the mobilization of reconciliation missionaries and other factors of the
society, as International Community for the support of the 8-months expedition
which has started its activity in terrain since June 11th 2006. The 8-months
expedition, apart the reconciliation activity, will verify the new conflicts
caused for the land ownership and will enlighten the problems that come
out by the just approved law on legalizations. This organization is based
upon the experience of last year’s 2-month expedition, organized
during the electoral campaign and involved 2680 missionaries in all the
districts of the country. It realized that in those 60 days, only two
murders were committed, opposite to 20-22 that recently are happening
each month.
The expedition will have its task force, composed of representatives of
local power and school’s principals, in every village and city of
Albania. It started on June 11th 2006 and will end on February 21st 2007,
including also the electoral campaign period.The ongoing of the expedition
will be analyzed by the National Meeting of Reconciliation Missionaries
with traditional leaders and noble families “About the Observance
of Law and Support of Rule of Law”, which will be held on October
27-28 2006 in Tirana. In this meeting, representatives of government,
high executives of Albanian state, members of European Parliament, representatives
of political parties, clergy and media will participate.

THE MEETING RE-ASKED:

-To present to the European Parliament, European Union,
Council of Europe, and OSCE the need for a more complete support toward
the democracy and the progress of reforms in Albania as well as to take
under protection all the families that emigrate from Albania because of
blood feud, considering that the Albanian state and society are not temporarily
able to find the needed means against this phenomenon, and provide life
security of the families in enmity.

-To invite the member countries of EU to activate all
possible potentials, for offering more projects for the population of
the rural areas in Albania.

-To invite the Albanian Parliament to contribute further
on the improvement of the laws in the fight against blood feud.

-To invite the Albanian prosecution, investigation and
law executing organs for increasing the level of cooperation with the
community and civil society for discovering, preventing and punishing
the operators of organized crime.

-To invite the Justice System, to give justice and fight
the compromised elements in the courts.

-To invite the Albanian Government to take the respective
measures and decisions so that all the institutions of the Albanian state
should have the figures of the families involved in property, trafficking
and family violation conflicts and to undertake special actions for avoiding
the self-judgment.

-To invite the Albanian Government for further investments
on the establishment of the educative centres for the orphan and isolated
children, by using the once houses of culture and other public buildings
that are not being restored for being privatized.

-To invite the Ministry of Education and Sciences, to
increase at a higher level the educative work in the schools, so that
the children gain more complete knowledge about love, work, life, family,
and the rights and obligations in a contemporaneous society.